Chapter 32: Fever (2)
The classroom fell silent. The students immediately stopped talking.
No one could tell whether their silence meant they understood Damon... or simply disagreed with what he had said.
Among them, one female student wasn’t listening to Damon at all. Her eyes remained fixed on the door Shani and Jeryon had walked through earlier.
’Are there any other families with silver hair? That silver hair looks so much like the Ashbournes’ though.’
"Nora, during this afternoon’s practical class, I’ll teach you a new technique you’ve never tried."
The boy sitting beside her whispered into her ear. The girl’s brows furrowed in annoyance.
A second later, her expression melted into a gentle smile. "Of course. You’re always so kind."
...
After Jeryon refused to go to the medical facility on the fourth floor, Shani escorted him back to his dorm room instead.
She immediately gave him the fever medicine Kiran had given her. "I’ll come check on you again during lunch."
After making sure the room temperature was comfortable, Shani left him behind and returned to class.
The lesson continued as if nothing had happened.
Just before class ended, Shani received a message on her smartwatch from Damon, asking her to stay behind after everyone else left.
"Kiran, go on ahead when we’re done. Instructor Cross asked me to stay."
Kiran nodded, assuming Damon wanted to ask about Jeryon’s condition.
Once class ended and the other students had left, Shani walked down the steps toward Damon.
"What is it, Instructor?" she asked.
"How did you end up becoming Jeryon’s partner?" Damon asked, disbelief evident in his voice.
Shani noticed that Damon didn’t seem upset. If anything, he looked overly concerned. "It just... happened, Instructor."
She explained everything, including how she hadn’t had any choice except to partner with Jeryon.
Damon let out a long sigh. She really had been in an impossible situation.
Either she would have no partner at all... Or she’d choose a partner who might accidentally kill her.
Damon had known Shani and Jeryon were in the same class.
What he hadn’t expected was that Jeryon’s reputation had become so terrible that not a single student wanted to partner with a prince.
He had completely miscalculated.
That was why, the moment he learned Shani had become Jeryon’s partner, he had requested to teach the first-year students instead.
Thanks to his connections and good relationships with the other instructors, he had successfully swapped positions with the original first-year combat instructor.
For some reason, after hearing his wife’s explanation about Shani and meeting her in person, Damon found himself wanting to protect this girl.
"You’re really okay? You two actually succeeded in resonating?" Damon looked directly into Shani’s eyes.
He had already heard countless rumors claiming their successful resonance had been faked by the academy and the royal family.
"Of course. I can show you my artificial egg right now." Shani answered firmly.
She knew that with all the rumors about fabricated resonance, some people still wouldn’t believe it even if she showed them her egg’s progress.
But all she could do was tell the truth. Whether Damon believed her or not was up to him.
"Very well..." Fortunately, Damon believed her.
"I’ll speak with your main instructor and your Resonance instructor. I’ll make sure other students don’t cause trouble that will impact your resonance progress."
Shani immediately thanked him.
She personally didn’t care much about what other said. But she worried the constant gossip might affect Jeryon’s mental state.
"Oh, Instructor..." Shani spoke again before they parted. "Could you keep all of this from Mrs. Barlow until my egg hatches?"
Damon readily nodded.
Shani breathed a sigh of relief.
If Mrs. Barlow found out, then Thorne and Cole over at Avian Tower would certainly hear about it as well.
And if they knew, Cedric would know too.
Shani didn’t want Cedric to worry. Nor did she want to explain everything before she had any results to show.
She wanted to surprise him with the outcome instead.
...
Shani had lunch with Kiran, who had already picked up trays of food for both her and Jeryon.
"After you’re done eating, you can bring Prince Jeryon’s lunch to him. I won’t come." Kiran said quickly while waving both hands.
Realizing Kiran still felt awkward around Jeryon, Shani simply nodded.
After finishing her own meal, she packed Jeryon’s food into a lunch container before making her way back to the dorm.
Student dorm rooms could only be unlocked from the outside using the owner’s fingerprint.
Fortunately, Jeryon woke up after Shani contacted him through his smartwatch.
As soon as the door unlocked, Shani stepped inside. Jeryon was still lying in bed.
He had unlocked the door using his smartwatch, which was integrated with the electronic systems in every student’s room.
"Jeryon, come eat first."
Shani walked over to him and gently lifted his shoulders so she could prop another pillow behind his back.
She was already used to taking care of children at the orphanage.
But this was her first time taking care of an adult man. Well... an eighteen-year-old still counted.
Jeryon, still only half-conscious, instinctively tried to pull away.
He felt embarrassed. He didn’t want anyone seeing him in such a weak state, much less treating him like a child.
Shani didn’t budge. Instead, she coaxed him exactly as if he were one
"You need to eat first. Only then can you take your medicine and start feeling better."
Jeryon shook his head. He couldn’t even manage proper words anymore. Only a hoarse sound escaped his throat.
"Come on, eat. If you don’t, your brain might get cooked." Shani said it with complete seriousness, treating him exactly like a stubborn little kid.
She gently blew on the porridge the cafeteria had specially prepared for sick students, completely ignoring how mortified Jeryon looked.
In the end, his weakened body gave in. He managed to swallow a few spoonfuls.
Shani glanced at the time. The afternoon practical class was starting soon, and time was running out.
"I should call the medical team. You need an IV drip."
Jeryon shook his head again. Seeing his persistence, she finally relented.
As Shani tidied away the lunch container, which was still more than two-thirds full, she quietly asked the system in her mind,
’Is there any medicine that can cure this fever without causing any other side effects?’
...